That's the message sent to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association pollsters, delivered by Humboldt State's men's and women's teams at the NCAA Division II National Championships on Saturday. The Lumberjack women, picked to finish 19th in the final poll, raced to a 15th place finish, while the Jacks' men, ranked No. 25, moved up nine positions, placing 16th.

Austin Huff ran a personal best time on the 10K course to lead the HSU men, while Bridget Berg did likewise on the 6K course to pace the women's team. The seniors both earned All-America honors, reserved for the top 40 finishers in each race.

"I couldn't ask for a better performance from our athletes," HSU head coach Scott Pesch said. "We talk about taking our running in small steps, and were hoping for a top 20 finish in both races. Then our men come out and jump nine spots, and the women are picking away at some of the top teams of the nation. It was an exceptional day for both teams."

Huff sliced two minutes off the time he ran at the regional meet two weeks ago, finishing in 38th position with a clocking of 30 minutes, 23 seconds. In her final collegiate cross country race, Berg slashed 35 seconds off her previous best 6K and placed 17th overall among the field of 249 finishers to earn her second All-America honor.

"(The field) went out incredibly hard, which I knew they would, but I went with them. That's just how nationals is," Huff said. "The best part was finishing 16th as a team. Everyone really came through."

Pushing the team up in the standings was a men's pack that included Joe Ostini, who raced the course in 31:29, nearly a minute faster than his performance at the regional meet. Ben Stern (31:38), Jantzen Oshier (31:56) and Brent Ritschel (31:55) all achieved significant improvement from their previous best times. Tyler Cleveland (32:48) and Xavier Uranga (32:53) both broke the 33-minute barrier for the first time.

Berg led a Humboldt State women's team that also achieved remarkable improvement. Devon Kelsey (21:48) flew 32 seconds faster than her former top time, while Amanda Camarillo (22:21), Raven Harrision (22:37), Caroline Kaufman (22:44), Nina Carson (also 22:44) and Amanda Reynolds (22:45), all broke the 23-minute barrier for the first time in their respective collegiate careers.

"It was awesome to warm up with the team, line up with the team, and finish with the team," said Berg, who qualified for nationals as an individual in 2012. "It's so much better than being in an individual starting box by yourself. Having my teammates here definitely created more energy and excitement."

The 2012 season marked the first time since 2001 that an HSU team of either gender had qualified for nationals. It was also only the second time Humboldt State advanced both men's and women's teams to the national championships during the same season.

Taking home the national title in the men's race for the ninth consecutive year was Adams State, of Colorado. The Grizzlies had five of the top 15 finishers and had all seven runners finish amongs the top 28 en-route to a team score of just 34 points. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rival Colorado Mines finished with 102 points.

Grand Valley State, ranked third in the final USTFCCA poll, captured its second women's Division II national championship. Three Lakers placed in the top 40, earning earn All-American honors and leading the team to its second national title in three years.

Chico State had the best finish among West Region schools in both the men's and women's competition, both squads placing fifth.